


wounded; (horse)

by aquaticflames



Series: sunset firefly [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Harm to Animals, Injury Recovery, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Whump, also yes there's a happy ending!, imma make it really obvious okay. this prompt is one hundred percent whump, oh my god its literally 4am I'm going to have so much to regret tomorrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29303667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquaticflames/pseuds/aquaticflames
Summary: "Twi, you're just going to have to trust me, okay? The rest of you need to get to the Highland Stable."Twilight heard Wind kick up a protest, and he privately agreed, biting back a remark of his own."This isn't up for debate!" Wild shouted, already getting to his feet. "I'm not going to stand herebickeringwhile her chances worsen."
Relationships: Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Series: sunset firefly [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115921
Comments: 26
Kudos: 225





	wounded; (horse)

**Author's Note:**

> Can't overstate the warning enough here; a relatively serious animal injury forms the main crux of this prompt! It's _neither_ particularly graphic nor fatal, but the warning still stands. 
> 
> Could be upsetting, so I'm obligated to tag as such. I've written a fair few fluffier prompts recently, and this was the result of untapped angst-potential spilling out when I didn't have any other ideas.

Even if he could go back in time and restart the day - restart the _year_ \- Twilight didn't think it was possible to change the course of events. So much had gone wrong in such a short space of time, and the nine of them, for once, held very little responsibility at all. 

Yet he still felt like he was split in two, tearing at the seams with worry and grief. 

Wild's uncharacteristically foul curse right after they tumbled through another portal was all the warning the group had, really. They knew it was comparatively easy for things to veer sharply away from their favour, where Wild's Hyrule was concerned, but never before had they been dealt such a _viciously_ terrible hand. 

As the sharp expletive left their cook, an ear-splitting roar wrenched the thundering skies apart, all nine of them whirling around in the torrential rain to shield their faces, desperately trying to work out what in _Hylia's_ name they'd tumbled into. 

A Lynel, stood like a chiselled statue with the white flank to match, raised its bow, taking aim at their group. Wild _dove_ forward, yelling and shouting to grab its attention - to force the focus onto him. The nine of them had dispatched a scarce few of these beasts before, and with a group as large as theirs they'd quickly learned that trusting the local Champion was always their best bet. 

Eight travellers all tripped over themselves scrambling away, flinging instructions and breathless curses around as they tried to form some kind of attack formation. Twilight could see Wind and Hyrule scrabbling to find purchase on a raised rocky outcrop nearby, stationed to deal with any injured. Time joined him by Epona on the edge of the battleground, a hard look set in stone on his face.

Twilight quickly followed his mentor's gaze, met by the heart-stopping sight of his own protégé already parrying heavy blows, leaping back and forth, and blurring through an impressive volley of flurries. The remaining heroes were scattered around, fumbling with bows and shields in the rain. 

He was convinced they'd pulled it off - riding on Wild's experience through it all - until the Lynel seemed to remember it had a bow of its own. A rather horrid, powerful-looking one, with arrows that emitted a chilled glare even through the sheets of rain. 

Wild yelled something that none of them could make out through the thunderstorm, waving frantically in Twilight's direction to where he was sat atop Epona, his own bow at the ready. 

Twilight got the hint easily enough. The Lynel was switching tactics, moving its focus long-range, and Twi and Epona were sitting ducks with their elevation above everyone else. 

He spurred her on, putting all his faith in their combined _feel_ for the land to safely navigate them across the unfamiliar, low-visibility terrain. They dodged and weaved, the odd ice arrow hitting the earth at their heels. With each crawling minute, the Lynel's aim seemed to shine truer and truer - Twilight nailing it in the face with his own arrows and a hot vengeance as his anxiety grew.

It was just unfortunate, though - _just_ their luck after everything they'd been through, that Epona was forced to rear back, skidding to a halt in the mud when they galloped straight into the sheer wall of a cliff, rising up and disappearing into the rain. She whinnied and whined, desperately trying to reorient herself away from the cold cliff rock with Twi's panicked help, but the Lynel saw the opening and _struck._

 _Cold_ \- biting, freezing, numbing cold pierced the air like a javelin, whistling through the air and landing home. Twi felt his legs lock up, his elbows sear and his back scream in agony, but his mind was elsewhere altogether. 

_Epona._

The arrow hadn't struck him. It'd struck her. 

They were down, indistinct shouts reaching them from all directions as they both cried out. Twilight registered, stupidly, that he could hear Wild positively _roaring,_ no doubt making quick work of the Lynel now. 

Someone skidded to a halt beside them, voices clamouring out, but all he could register was his girl's trembling. He caught a snatch about someone needing to quickly melt it. Something _else_ about avoiding temperature-shock. Some kind of colourful insult about a fire rod. 

Either way, Twilight was forcing himself around, wrenching his joints with the effort as he ignored all protests to his movement. 

Epona, his girl through thick and thin, had taken hits before. Hylia only knew how many beatings they'd both taken over the course of his adventure. But it didn't make it any easier, seeing her shivering and in pain. 

A sob tore it's way from his throat, leaving him gasping and trembling himself. Someone was wrenching him away, trying to get him sorted, but the moment he was warm enough to feel his limbs again, he was by her side, trying to rub feeling back into her frostbitten flank as Legend carefully melted away the ice. Twilight had never seen the man _this_ concentrated before, brow furrowed and gaze unwavering. 

Wild skidded over, _covered_ in mud with a badly bruised shield arm, but otherwise unharmed. For the first time since they'd tumbled out into the rains of West Faron, his voice was clear and audible. 

He sounded _distraught._

"That's not gonna work," He croaked over the rain, crouching down beside Epona and clumsily discarding his new shield in the mud. The boy's hands hovered over her flank, seemingly afraid to make it worse. "I-It's no use, the ice from these arrows knits too far beneath the skin. We don't have much time before her adrenaline fades and her legs lock up!"

Hot tears slid down Twilight's face, his forehead coming to rest against her as he held back sobs. 

What were they to do? The moment she became unmovable, how were they to treat her? The frigid rain was making it impossible to bring her skin temperature back up from freezing, and none of them could move her once she was finally grounded. Twilight felt grief grip him, faced with the worst and no other choice but to _watch_ it happen. 

He barely registered Wild flicking through his slate, only raising his head to face him when the boy clapped a hand to his shoulder in a gesture that was all too plain: _I need you to listen to me. It's important, and there's no room for argument_. 

It was surreal, being on the receiving end of one of those looks from his protégé. 

"Twi, you're just going to have to trust me, okay? I'm going to try and take her nearby for help." The boy glanced up and away from him then, his hard stare directed at someone else. 

"The rest of you need to get to the Highland Stable. It's a half hour's walk in that direction; Don't leave the path, and warm up when you arrive."

Twilight heard Wind kick up a protest, worried about Wild being alone in such low visibility weather. Twilight privately agreed, bitterly biting back a remark of his own. 

"This isn't _up_ for debate!" Wild shouted, already getting to his feet and scrambling around to Epona's bridle, trying to soothe her. "I'm not going to stand here _bickering_ while her chances worsen."

Twilight felt totally, completely torn in two - ripped between helpless grief for the state Epona was in, and furious anxiety for Wild, raring to go off on his own in a thunderstorm. 

Time, bellowing to be heard over the rain by everyone, made up their minds for them. 

“Just go with him, Pup.” He called, already herding the others toward the path bound for Highland Stable. “Just make sure they come back in one piece. I'm trusting you, Cub!”

"Good!" Wild gritted out, already attempting to get Epona up on her feet from where she was knelt in the mud. Twilight shakily rose too, putting his discarded bow away with clumsy fingers and rummaging for one of her favourite treats - hoping to tempt her up too. "-Cause you don't have much choice right now." 

If Twilight hadn't been so focused on keeping Epona upright and moving forward for the whole trek, he would have wrung Wild's neck three times over already. The boy was being _agonisingly_ cryptic about where they were going, ploughing on through the torrential rain and checking his slate every few minutes. 

"We're almost there!" He shouted, falling back in step with them to whisper soothing words to poor Epona. She was already growing weak, her back leg locking up and causing a painful limp with every step they took. Twilight did his best not to think about what would happen if she stayed this cold and wet for much longer. The two Hylains were already soaked to the bone themselves, having donned various items from Wild's enchanted arsenal in a feeble attempt to stay warm. 

Twilight was just about at the end of his very frayed, very _tested_ patience when they reached a man-made bridge, and the air in front of them took on a faint violet glow. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, an eery humming trail of bright purple foliage set into a natural recess. 

"Sorry," Wild began then, bringing them to the foot of a large, waxy-looking flower inlaid with gold and surrounded by sprouting mushrooms. Twilight just… didn't know what to make of it. _At all._

Why the _fuck_ were they here? 

"-Sorry, if this ends up being unnecessary," Wild finished, before pulling a small dagger from his slate, taking a firm chunk of Epona's mane, and slicing off a good handful of her hair about halfway down. "-Just… Just trust me, _please_."

Twilight barely had enough time to splutter through a flummoxed tirade of questions, carding his fingers through the section of Epona's mane Wild had cut short, before the boy pushed up onto the steps of the large flower, and the centre of it _erupted._

It could almost have been a great fairy - his mind supplied as he tripped over his feet trying to put distance between himself and the enormous figure - had it not been for the imposing equine mask at the helm. Shock-white braids and patterned feathers seemed to splay out from the mask, with vibrant patchworked fabrics spilling down into the pond at the flower's centre. It's hands hovered in the air above them all curiously, almost like they were ready to reach out and sweep them all in closer. 

Most noticeable though, was the change that occurred right beside him, felt beneath the palm of his hand. Epona's shaking, which had grown steadily more concerning during their trek through the rain, had stopped altogether. Her ears were angled forwards, head raised and tail swishing calmly. She whinnied slightly, relaxed and content. 

Glancing between his steed, his protégé - stood before the towering character, hand raised in a _ludicrously_ awkward greeting - and the equine figure, Twilight felt thoroughly slackjawed. 

_Had his protégé just said 'hi' to some kind of god?_

A rumbling voice rang out as the deity spoke, reverberating back and forth around the rocky recess. Epona was happily idling on the spot, not taking her eyes off the neon coloured horse-like God.

Wild was conversing with the figure in words Twilight couldn't make out. It surely wasn't a language _he_ recognised though, as the boy gestured to the placated, injured steed behind him and periodically held up the lock of hair to the god. 

After a couple minutes of back and forth debate - and a rather terrifying moment of creaking and clanking from the deity as it bared down on his protégé, sizing him up - Wild handed over the hank of Epona's mane, and gestured for Twilight to bring her forward. 

He helped her over - limp still obvious despite her apparent ease, almost like she was numbed to the pain here. The strangest sensation washed over him as they stepped closer, like words plying their way into his mind unbidden. The otherworldly chorus of song he'd heard as the deity had spoken to Wild seemed to _shift,_ aligning somewhere in his head. 

"Courageous one," The equine mask was far more imposing up close, clacking and trembling every so often as the figure spoke. Twilight _jumped_ hearing its voice, the hand he wasn't using to grasp Epona's mane jumping to the hilt of his sword reflexively. "You are good to your steed, and she to you. A bond like that is unmatched, and worth preserving."

Twilight honestly didn't know what to say, speechless at the foot of a god. Wild grinned at him from the side, apparently _used to_ just waking up powerful deities whenever he needed a cheeky favour or two. 

_Who the hell was this kid?_

"I require the payment in full, hero." They spoke again, turning their gaze on his protégé. Wild merely chuckled, reaching for his slate and stepping back up to the gold-gilded pool as the god's voice continued ringing out across the clearing. "-I usually bridge the gap between this realm and the Beyond. I require persuasion, if I am to serve you, here alone."

"No persuasion needed, Malanya," Wild chirped, and in the next breath he held the slate out over the pool, tipped it screen-down, and shook it a few times. Bright orange carrots tumbled from the screen, splashing into the pool and sinking below the ripples. Twilight must've seen around _fifty_ of them leave the kid's slate, before the god - 'Malanya', apparently - let out a bone-shaking whinny of delight and raised its hands high above them all. 

It was hard not to cower beneath the deity, but at Wild's excited gesture, Twi tore his eyes from the dancing god and turned to Epona's side. 

There, on her flank - where the Lynel's ice had pierced her deeply, leaving her whole back leg painfully twisted and surely frostbitten - the ice was retreating, melting away before their eyes. Twilight hadn't realised how deep the ice had torn, finally understanding Wild's earlier urgency; He watched deep spiderwebbed grooves of ice melt away, leaving her leg to stitch itself back together in their absence. 

Epona seemed elated at this development, but she had eyes only for the deity, Malanya. Twilight couldn't blame her; It probably felt akin to meeting Hylia herself in the flesh, his poor girl. 

With Epona fully healed and happily munching on _another_ carrot Wild seemed to have pulled from nowhere, the god and his protégé said their casual goodbyes in the _weirdest_ display of divine-mortal interpersonal relations Twilight had ever seen, and the three of them retreated back down the path. 

Divine intervention or not, the rain had yet to let up. Twilight patted Epona's leg experimentally, and hopped up to ride her back after deeming her perfectly fine. 

_She was fine. She was really going to be okay._

It seemed to finally sink in what Wild had managed to do, and when he helped the boy up onto Epona in front of him - offering him the reins - Twilight threw his arms around the boy's middle and let his brow come to rest between lean shoulder blades. 

"Woah, you okay Twi?" Wild laughed, setting Epona off at a trot back towards the stable where the others were surely waiting. An undercurrent of concern was audible beneath his chuckles. "I know Malanya can be a bit much, sorry for not warning you."

Twi merely shook his head, face still buried into the back of Wild's hood and tunic. The rain did offer him one small mercy, he supposed; Wild's tunic was already too damp for the boy to notice Twilight's tears soaking the fabric. 

" _Thank you._ " He managed, voice horrid and nasally as he cried. " _Thank you,_ cub."

His protégé let Twilight hug him round the middle the whole ride down, sobbing in relief into his back. Not a word was said again until they reached the stable, seven heroes whooping and cheering just inside the entrance to the main tent. 

Time strode out into the rain to meet them halfway, shielding his face and taking the reins as he guided Epona safely around the stable to the other horses. When he returned to find Wild toweling his hair off and Twilight stripped of the snowquill tunic, sat exhausted on a bed, he heard one of the boys clamouring at them.

"But what happened?" Wind demanded, confusion marring his face as he glanced between the two latecomers for answers. He honed in on Twilight, stomping his foot slightly in his agitation to work out how they'd done it. "How did you just disappear off into the thunderstorm and return with a fully-healed horse?!"

Twilight sighed out shakily, meeting Time's eye before letting out a bark of laughter, sounding utterly disbelieving himself. 

"Y'know what, I don't know what's weirder." He breathed, hanging his head in his hands. "The fact that I just met a god, or that Wild's on first-name basis with a horse deity." 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading !! ♡
> 
> this one was a challenge, I'm not normally one to use animal injury as the crux of a story, but I felt I needed to do the idea justice once it'd formed in my head. I totally understand if any of you needed to skip this one though! 
> 
> EPONA ILY MAN, I'M SORRY. 💔 PLEASE FORGIVE ME🥕🥕 I only needed to use Malanya's gift once throughout my four years playing botw, and I cried my eyes out. :[
> 
> you guys are all the best. so much love to you. 💕  
> -eren


End file.
